That Perfect Balance
by Bellalyse Winchester
Summary: Sequel to 'A Lot Can Happen on Vacation'. Helen offers Connor an ultimatum, a choice that could decide the history of the world. Epilogue now up. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to my fanfiction 'A Lot can Happen on Vacation'. (If you haven't read that, please do.) I had to think long and hard before I decided to just go for it and write a sequel. I hope this doesn't spoil the ending I left you with, and if you're happy with that ending, stop reading now. **

**I don't own Primeval, despite aggressive attempts on my part. **_**Impossible Pictures, you'll submit to my will someday…**_ **Let's not go there, shall we? **

Chapter 1

Connor's gun pressed into her skull. Her words rang true, but he was frozen to the spot. Was it worth it? Could he lose his reason for living to save the world?

_(some amount of time earlier)_

Jenny quaked in her bed. Haunting words and images wound their way through her deepest consciousness, penetrating her and cutting her off from the world around her as she slept. She could see the ARC in flames as it had been all those months ago…she could hear her mother's scolding voice, it was her own fault for falling for a loser. (She hadn't told her mother the whole truth, only that she was left in the dust for another woman. She thought it would earn her some sympathy, but then her mother was without that sort of thing. A heart.) She saw Nick's body in the casket of oak that would bear him for all eternity in that stagnant cemetery. She could recall her sobs that night in her hallway--she hadn't even made it to her bedroom when the heartbreak reared its ugly head. Every tear, every anguished cry, every time she hit the wall with a balled fist was relived in nightmare. With a ravaged cry she woke in a pool of sweat.

She sat up, pushing her hair back with one hand and leaning up with the other. She breathed slowly, trying to calm herself and not doing the best job.

She still had these nightmares, so long after Nick…she didn't think about it anymore, not awake. She gritted her teeth and pulled herself out of bed without even a sideways glance at the clock. She knew it was late.

Her thoughts were confirmed upon seeing the starry backdrop of the sky out of her flat's front window. She ignored it, still groggy from sleep but awake enough to make some coffee and take a vigil on her couch.

She winced at the first sip. It was good, _delicious_ even, but after spending several late nights at the ARC filling out forms and relaying reports of anomalies to the SCA (Security Council on Anomalies) she had grown sort of fond of the gritty texture and bitter taste of the ARC's coffee. At the ARC, most of the work in preparing the coffee was done yourself, while Jenny's coffee machine did all but drink the coffee for you. She supposed she had grown fond of the ARC's coffee in much the same manner as she had grown fond of her boyfriend.

Danny was certainly not the ridiculously romantic sort of man Jenny imagined in her wildest fantasies. He was practical and quick-thinking, and very stubborn. Was that what she loved about him? She used the term 'love' easily in reference to him now. She remembered their first meeting. He'd threatened them. He still joked about it, saying he'd arrest her if she was out of line. She'd sometimes remind him that she outranked him. Most of the time she'd just play along.

She suddenly heard a sound from her kitchen. It wasn't like one of the normal creaking noises the flat made--what was it? It sounded like a footstep, and she tensed, gripping her mug tightly. She slowly made her way towards the kitchen, prepared to jump out if anyone stood there. Who would be there?

Working at the ARC, she was used to assuming the worst and having something even worse come to pass. She peeked around the corner and saw…no one.

She inhaled slowly. No, it was just her mind playing tricks on her. It wasn't the first time. She turned around and cried out when she saw a woman sitting on her couch, nursing a bleeding arm. Her mug fell to the floor, shattering and searing her toes with hot coffee, but she barely noticed as the woman looked up at her.

"Hey," the woman said, looking back down to her injury. "I don't suppose you have an ice pack? Some peas or something?"

Jenny's mouth worked but she found no words, so she settled for stepping backwards to her freezer and opening the door, snatching a bag of peas. She crossed back towards the woman and tossed it to her before getting on her knees and pushing the shards of glass aside from the mug. She'd clean it all up later.

"Could you tell me just exactly who you are?"

The woman glanced up at her again. She had light brown hair, which was matted to her skull with sweat, and eyes that peered at Jenny almost blankly, yet there _was _emotion behind them, however stoic they seemed. There was something terribly familiar about them, as well. They were so watchful, so fierce. The woman thought a moment before answering, though she dodged the question. "You don't seem all that shocked to see me here. In this time, are anomalies a sort of public…fad?"

"Excuse me?"

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Apparently not. Then you know about them from elsewhere?"

Jenny sighed. "Just tell me who you are. I can make things easy or hard for you if I want."

The woman only pursed her lips and shrugged. Jenny noticed unhappily that the rag she was holding to her bleeding arm was her hand towel. "You're government, aren't you?" the woman asked suddenly.

"Actually, yes," Jenny said. She didn't have much hope that the woman would talk at this, but she might as well throw it out there. Finally the woman gave the response she wanted, and at the same time, the last response she expected to hear.

"The name's Helen Cutter."

Jenny remembered the eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Primeval. I only own my imagination, which is too terrifying to subject someone to in full. That's why I write fanfics. **

Chapter 2

Abby Temple crossed her arms, stepping over to her husband's side. He was sitting at the ADD2, typing furiously in an attempt to reboot it. After an incident with hackers who didn't know what they were hacking into (thankfully) but who were pretty good at hacking and managed to shut down a few of their systems, they decided to run a complete systems diagnostic, which meant Connor had to revamp security every single way possible.

"Well?"

Connor grimaced, shaking his head as he typed. "Won't know until it's done, I'm afraid--but I'm almost there."

Abby nodded, her mouth a thin line. "All right. You know, though, I'll want you home eventually. It's getting sort of close to _that time._"

"Wow," Connor said, pausing from his work to look up at her. "God, I can't believe--"

"Connor. Work."

"Oh--right." He shook his head, returning to the ADD2. "I'm just--Abby, aren't you so excited?"

Abby smirked gently. "I have the hormonal imbalance, dear. You don't have to be crazy, that's my job for now."

Connor just smiled, allowing his eyes to flick to her belly as he reached out a hand to hers. "I just can't believe that my baby's in there."

"Stop ogling, Connor," Abby murmured, blushing as she looked around to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. "Work now, play later."

As Connor began to work again, the detector suddenly went off--Abby jumped, holding a hand to her lips.

"I guess…I'll see you, darling," Connor said, getting to his feet quickly. A few weeks ago he decided Abby was not allowed to go with the team to cover anomalies, and she had grudgingly agreed a few days ago. He took a glance at the ADD2 and his eyes widened. "Jenny's house."

Connor and Becker, who was also staying late, climbed into a company car and took off down the road. Halfway to Jenny's house Connor's cell rang; he gestured for Becker to grab it from his knapsack while he was driving.

"Yo?" Becker said into the phone.

"'Yo?' Who says 'yo'?" Connor asked while Becker waved a hand to silence him.

"Yeah, Connor's driving us there now. It's closed? Damn it. What?"

Connor turned a corner but watched Becker out of the corner of his eye. "Becker, what is it?"

"Would you shut your--no Jenny, talking to Connor. She's from when? And--so she doesn't know anything about the operation?" He nodded. "Okay, we're coming. I hope she's a little less…evil? Right, see you."

He hung up the cell and slipped it back into Connor's bag.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Connor. Helen's at Jenny's house."

Connor's mouth fell open and he turned to Becker, ignoring the road for a few moments. "How the hell can I take that the right way?"

"Connor, the road!"

Connor's eyes flew back to the road quickly. "Start talking, Becker."

Becker sighed, beginning. "She's not today Helen, you know she's dead--she's Helen of several years ago. Jenny's letting her get cleaned up at her house and we'll take her into custody when we get there."

"Get 'cleaned up'?" Connor furrowed his brow.

"Yeah, she was pretty bloodied up. Hit to the arm or something." Becker shook his head. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do, but Jenny doesn't think she's gone all dark side yet, so we treat her like any other fugitive until we have a reason to think otherwise."

Connor was silent a few moments before finally speaking. "Didn't know you got Star Wars references, mate."

Becker rolled his eyes. "Drive."

They arrived at Jenny's house, where Jenny was already standing outside. "Come on, she just got out of the shower."

"You--she--what're you doing, running a B and B?" Connor asked, bolting into her house and followed by Becker.

"She hasn't had a decent shower for months," Jenny said, following them down the hall. They stood outside Jenny's bathroom door, looking impatient. "I'd feel bad, not giving her a little human comfort before she's dragged off to the ARC."

"Giving Helen Cutter human comfort?" Connor hissed under his breath. "How does that not sound oxymoronic to you?"

"Connor, let's just try this," Jenny said quietly. She was about to continue but Helen stepped from the shower, wearing one of Jenny's outfits.

"Hey," she said, looking from Jenny to the two men, both of whom were fighting the instinct to punch her in the jaw. "Helen Cutter, nice to meet you."

Connor gave what was obviously intended to be a nod but ended as just a slight, stiff jerk of the head. Becker managed to force a smile but it was brittle and hardly the amiable smile he'd usually wear.

"Helen, I'm afraid we'll have to take you into custody for the time being," Jenny said, gently putting a hand on Helen's elbow.

"Perfectly understandable," Helen said, shrugging. She was noticeably younger but that face had burned itself into Connor's retinas and he could only see the woman who had killed her own husband. "I suppose you'll want a full recount of my findings through the anomalies."

Helen was taken into captivity surprisingly easily. She sat in the back seat of the company car with Jenny, who, Connor noticed after a while, was a little more uneasy than she let on. She kept glancing at Helen uncomfortably and biting her lip.

When they arrived at the ARC, Jenny gestured for Helen to remain in the car. She stepped out with Connor, while Becker stayed in the car as well.

"James is probably here by now," Jenny said grimly. "I'll explain our--situation. You stay here with Becker."

"No way, I'm going to see Abbs."

Jenny sighed, gritting her teeth. "God, I miss the days when chain of command actually _meant_ something. All right, you're with me."

With a signal to Becker she led the way to the hub of the ARC, where Lester was waiting with crossed arms. Abby was a little ways behind him and Connor went to her.

"Well?" Lester asked.

"I'll need one high security holding cell for our _extremely_ high priority prisoner," she said. "I'll need three soldiers at a time round-the-clock to watch it, and interrogation will begin at 900 hours tomorrow."

"Alright, then," Lester said without question, turning to the main hallway. Jenny looked to Connor, who was fussing over Abby.

"Are you sure it was just a kick? Nothing serious, nothing at all?"

"I'm positive, Conn." Abby smiled gently. "I promise, I won't let you miss it if anything _does_ happen."


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't own Primeval. But in another dimension, I do. In another dimension, I have a purple Coelurosauravus named Pickles. **

Chapter 3

Sarah arrived at the ARC the next morning, groggy and wondering why everyone was so anxious. She passed soldiers rushing through the halls, on her way to get coffee in the rec-room. She couldn't wake until she had her coffee.

Once the caffeine was in her, she realized the same word was on the tongue of everyone who bustled through the halls. Helen.

Helen.

_Helen?!_

She found Danny and grabbed his arm as he was on his way somewhere. "Why is everyone suddenly talking about Helen?" she asked.

"She's here--in the ARC."

Danny pulled away and Sarah found herself following him, confused. When she saw Helen on the other side of a one-way mirror she gasped.

"What the--what have I missed?" When she saw the only two in the room besides her and Danny were Becker and Lester, she turned to Danny. "What happened?"

Danny explained what he knew and Sarah pursed her lips. She understood, but she wasn't sure how to take the information.

"So what do we do, then?"

Danny shrugged. "We find out what she knows, and see if any of it can help us. But so far, all she's said is what we already know. Anomalies are rifts in time, et cetera et cetera."

"What if she knows nothing?" Sarah asked. Danny's jaw clenched.

"We don't know."

Sarah turned to Lester. "Any suggestions?"

The man shook his head. "None at all, but then again, it's not my decision. Jenny's got the final call, as it's a matter of international security."

Sarah nodded, realizing she was blatantly ignoring Becker but not really caring. "Okay," she said.

On the other side of the wall, Jenny was questioning Helen, and their voices were playing over a tiny speaker.

"How are you finding anomalies?" Jenny sounded tired, even over the bad sound system, and Sarah grimaced with sympathy.

Helen, Sarah noted, seemed a little reluctant to give that information up. "They're all over the place; everywhere. All you have to do--"

"Is know where to look." Jenny finished her statement and held a hand to her forehead with a quick glance to the mirror, trying to signal those on the other side. "Look, Helen, I'm going to be right back. If there's anything you need, just say so into the mike and we'll get it for you."

Helen nodded as Jenny left the room, and in two seconds she entered on the other side.

"Morning, darling," Danny said, leaning down to peck her on the cheek. She smiled tiredly up at him; Becker coughed into his fist and Danny looked at him and Sarah sheepishly. "Right, we shouldn't make out in front of the kids--and Lester."

"Kids? Danny, Sarah's a week younger than me." Jenny blushed and turned to the others. "All right, questioning her is about as useful as asking the anomalies how they work."

"But do you think she does know anything?" Lester asked, crossing his arms.

Jenny bit her lip. "It's hard to say, really. She sounds like she has an idea, but I'm just not sure."

"Maybe she's already evil, maybe she's been that way all along."

Jenny pursed her lips. "I'm going back in. Wish me luck."

Danny grabbed her wrist and shook his head. "You need to rest, Jenny. I'll go."

As he stepped out, Jenny turned to Sarah.

"Where are Connor and Abby?" she asked. Inside of the room, Helen greeted Danny amiably--that new amiable Helen they just couldn't wrap their minds around.

"Abby had a doctor's appointment," Sarah said. "She's getting pretty close."

"This is about the worst time for it," Lester grimaced. "Have you and Connor finished upgrading security on the ADD2?"

"Not completely," Sarah said. "Connor knows most of the technical information right now, so it'll be up to him to figure it out when he gets back."

"One day you'll have to write all of the information down, you know," Lester grimaced. "You can't just store all the facts in your heads forever."

"What do you know about anomalies?"

They looked to see Danny asking Helen the same question Jenny had asked her several times before. Helen just smiled and shook her head.

"I've told your people all I know."

Danny sighed; he tossed the papers he had been holding to the floor. "Fine then," he said. "New question. What's Nick Cutter like?"

Jenny's ears perked up; she looked up to her boyfriend suddenly with ferocity, who she took to be invading her privacy. Helen didn't seem as perturbed by the question.

"Nick? He's my husband. Why are you asking--"

"That's a good question." Jenny was at the door to that room, staring him down. "A word, Danny?" Danny did not look embarrassed or ashamed of his question; he met her gaze evenly as he stepped out into the hallway. Jenny was there alone, and the door to the next room was closed.

"I'm going to give you fifteen seconds to explain why you're asking that--_woman_--about Nick."

Danny shrugged, shaking his head. "I'm allowed to ask, aren't I? He was the team leader before me, so I might as well know a little about him."

"Danny, this is neither the time nor the place to even bring Nick up." Jenny looked lividly up at him. "I forbid you from mentioning him while we conduct this interrogation, and if you disobey I'll have to suspend you from the operation."

Danny gave her a halfhearted nod that told her he understood but wasn't paying her much mind. Jenny knew, however, that he'd do as he was told, as the job meant far too much for him; on their relationship, she would have to talk with him later.

She returned to the viewing room, which was silent. Sarah and Becker were on opposite sides of the room, and Lester was standing awkwardly in the middle, although 'awkward' was hardly a word one could use to describe Lester. He managed to maintain his air of superiority in any situation.

"I assume we can all guess what that was about?" he said, but the look Jenny shot him was deadlier than many of the creatures they'd faced.


	4. Chapter 4

**If you can read this from fifty feet away, you don't need glasses. Or maybe you really, really need glasses. I don't own Primeval. **

Chapter 4

Abby sighed, looking at Connor. He was driving; it was something she had to get used to as he refused to let her drive in her condition. He kept insisting 'it would just be nothing and then pop!' which made her laugh every time.

He was driving about as fast as Abby could walk, which despite her resilience was a rather slow pace. Abby supposed she should consider herself lucky to have a man with such a predisposition to paternity, but sometimes it was a little scary. When they finally reached the ARC--at four-thirty, Abby realized with horror--Connor helped her out of the car and took her hand to walk her into the building.

"Are you sure you're alright, Abby?" he asked. She sighed in exasperation.

"Connor, you asked me twice at the hospital and half a dozen times on the way here. When I'm on the floor screaming 'Peaches!' you can start worrying."

Connor seemed little comforted by the reference to what had become one of his favorite animated movies. "Abby, I just want you to be safe. With what we do, safe is a pretty steep thing to ask."

They entered with a flash of their credentials and retinal scans. Connor led Abby by the hand to the interrogation room, where Becker, Jenny, Lester, and Sarah were standing. On the other side of the wall, they saw Danny questioning Helen.

"That's just spooky," Abby murmured. "He watched her die, isn't this sort of like a ghost for him?"

"Working on this job, half the things you deal with are ghosts," Lester shrugged. "The others haven't even existed yet."

Abby and Connor nodded and continued watching, although Danny was almost done. After several minutes he stepped out, shaking his head.

"The same answers she gave Jen, to the letter," he said, dissatisfied. Abby noticed he looked to Jenny and glanced away again dismissively. "We're not getting anything out of her if we stick to the questions thought up by the hacks."

Jenny laughed contemptuously at his comment and shook her head. "Okay, Danny, go home. I don't want you questioning Helen again."

Abby and Connor looked at one another in surprise; something must've happened in their absence. Danny didn't seem dejected by Jenny's order. Rather, he looked at her venomously and shook his head.

"Fine."

He left the room in a wake of silence that was only broken by Jenny's businesslike tones.

"As long as Helen is still willing to listen to questions, Becker, I'd like you to take up the role." She made it sound like she was asking but it was an extremely thin veil to cover an order. The captain nodded silently and entered the room.

"Temple, you work on the ADD2," Lester ordered, and he obeyed as silently as Becker.

Sarah smiled at Abby. They managed to escape watching the interrogation by going to get some coffee and straying a little long in the hub of the ARC with Connor. They knew they wouldn't be missed as they did nothing to help the interrogation anyway.

"How soon do you think it is, Abby?"

She shrugged. "Like Connor says, it could pop out any minute. But I tend to think I've got a little while yet."

"It's just around the corner," Connor said from under the ADD. He was adjusting wires and flicking switches on and off. "I still think you should be waiting in the hospital for it, Abby."

"I know what you think," Abby snapped brightly back at him. Then she returned her gaze to Sarah, lowering her voice. "If it were his choice, I'd be bubble-wrapped in the maternity ward with every soldier in the ARC guarding me and ready to get me anything I'm craving at a moment's notice."

Sarah smiled gently. "You've got a pretty good guy, Abby. You're lucky."

"What about you and Becker?" Abby asked, and Sarah's eyes darkened.

"Oh, you know," she said, looking away. "Some things work out, others don't…I don't know, Abby. I thought everything was perfect, and we kind of fell apart--I screwed it up."

"How?" Abby asked, disbelief etched in her face. Sarah sighed.

"I seem to have upset him," she said, glancing in both directions before leaning in and whispering. "He gets jealous easily."

Abby nodded sympathetically, cocking her head to the side. "I know that type--but Sarah, you and Becker go together like toast and jam. You've got to try and keep it going."

"Yeah, we're trying," Sarah lied quickly, crossing her arms. "But it's hard. I mean, we went to see _Clash of the Titans_--his choice, mind you--and he got a little miffed because according to him I looked at one of those bronzed-up Greek guys the wrong way."

"Can't blame you," Abby said thoughtfully. "Connor used to get jealous, but I think he figured somewhere along the line that he's the only guy for me."

Sarah smiled. "I wish I had your optimism." She grabbed her coffee cup, which she had ignored so far, and took a tentative sip. Connor let out a happy yelp and the girls looked to him silently. He got to his feet and smiled up at them happily.

"I think she's about done."

"Oh, don't get me too excited dear," Abby said lazily. "I might just…._pop_!" She popped her 'p' and Connor frowned.

"Not funny then, not funny now," Connor said, referring to something Sarah wasn't privy to. He walked to them and grabbed each of their wrists to pull them to the machine. Sarah took her seat, where the desk was adorned with pictures of the team, including Cutter and Stephen--she figured they needed to keep a little sentimentality around the place. Connor's seat had two pictures of the team--one from a field mission involving pteranodons near the beginning of the operation, with Leek's picture blackened out by sharpie, the other more recent with the entire current team smiling out at him--and a few dinosaur models, which he pushed aside with a quaking hand.

"All right, let's get you working, you bastard," Sarah murmured, typing away beside Connor. "It will work, right, Connor?"

"Pretty sure," Connor shrugged. "At least, the scanner will work. The security is a different story."

Sarah nodded and opened a file on the right-hand screen. "Okay, try to access this file off the main hard drive, Connor," she said, looking to the other. Connor restarted the computer and logged on as a separate guest account. He opened a window and typed in all the necessary information and…nothing.

Abby clapped a hand on Connor's shoulder before leaning forward and planting a kiss on his cheek. "You're a smart guy, Connor," she said happily. Sarah bit her lip uncomfortably and looked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Primeval I own not. **

Chapter 5

Finally the questions were done for the day--the time had come for the big decision.

"What the hell do we do about Helen?" Lester asked.

The assembled party was silent. Jenny pursed her lips. Sarah furrowed her brow, resting her chin upon her hand. Abby stroked the hand of Connor, who watched her more closely than he paid attention to the meeting. Becker looked lost in thought, his eyes lazily watching Sarah think.

"Well, don't everyone spit out their ideas at once," Lester said sarcastically. Jenny looked sheepishly at the table.

"Well, what can we do?" Abby asked. "she's not the Helen we know. She's not evil."

"Think of her in a few years," Jenny replied. "She's a murderer."

"I just don't think it's right to kill an innocent woman," Abby said. "Sarah, you agree, don't you?"

Sarah thought a moment, then nodded. "I say we keep her a little while, see if she shows her true colors."

"Splendid," Becker shot back with a bit of venom. "Wait 'til she's killed someone, _then_ execute her."

"What else can we do?" Sarah asked. "People can change."

"Thank you for the obvious, Sarah," Becker growled. Abby suddenly saw things take a turn from their original topic. "Yes, people change; you should know that. Well, Helen Cutter will change and become evil."

"That's enough, captain," Lester said lowly. Becker's fingers curled into a fist and he grimaced as Sarah leaned backwards. "On a startling note, none of this is even remotely helpful."

"Please stop bickering and offer an idea, somebody," Jenny added. "I'll admit, I don't like the idea of killing someone, but let's remember who we're talking about."

"I know what Danny would say," Connor said quietly. "If you hadn't thrown him out, Jenny. He'd call it redundant to kill Helen twice."

Jenny flushed. "Danny's actions got him thrown out," she said darkly. "I don't really want to speak about it anymore, anyhow."

"We'll never decide a rational course of action like this," Lester interjected. "God, everyone's mad at somebody and no one wants to listen. Sometimes I think I'm on a bloody soap opera." He stormed out of the room, followed quickly by Jenny, calling "James!" after him. Connor looked at the others and raised a hand.

"I'm not mad at anybody," he said unhelpfully. Abby smiled gently, massaging the hand that had been holding hers. Becker stood and left without another word, and at an encouraging glance from Abby, Sarah followed him.

She was surprised to see he had stopped there; had he known she was coming? He turned and faced her. To her surprise, he looked--apologetic? No, that wasn't Becker, was it?

"Sarah, I'm sorry," he said, confirming her thoughts. "About how I've been acting."

Sarah took a few seconds to think of what to say, finally deciding on, "You should be, Becker. I mean--" She shook her head before lowering her voice. "Jensen, I think we should both be sorry."

"Sarah, I'm _so_ not willing to give up on what we have." Becker's soft eyes looked so honest but Sarah found herself unwilling to look into them. She adored and hated those eyes, she was so irrationally attracted to them but her life relied on facts and figures--this love, barely knowing the man, made no sense.

"What do we have, Jensen? We happen to work at the same job that requires us to capture dinosaurs that appear through holes in time."

"But I _love_ you, Sarah." He said it like he was begging, like he was like he was pleading. The words pierced a hole in her heart deeper than any knife could, but she sighed. She couldn't look into those broken eyes anymore.

She was doing this for _him_, wasn't she?

"Becker, I'm a doctor. My whole life--everything is calculated, again and again, and I can't just 'fall in love' on a whim. I--I'm sorry, Becker. I'm sorry I said I'd date you."

She turned then and stepped away towards her office. She held her hand on the doorknob for several long moments before opening it--she wanted Becker to call her back, but he didn't. Finally she stepped inside and collapsed against her door.

She had told Becker the truth. She had _never b_een spontaneous in her life, and falling in love with Becker--no, it wasn't love, she chastised herself. It was….exhilaration and admiration. Fighting dinosaurs did that to a person, especially when one's coworker was rather attractive. She wasn't in love, she was just a victim of endorphins.

But…when Becker said he loved her…. Was this how Abby felt, when Connor first told her? No, Connor and Abby were just enormously compatible. They lived together for years before deciding to get hitched. Becker and her were completely different people; he was a soldier and she was a doctor, for goodness' sake. But when he said it, she felt a buzz go through her, like drinking half a dozen cans of Red Bull in one sitting--bad analogy, she supposed--and irrationality seemed so inviting.

She was crying before she knew it, the tears like a flood falling from her reddening eyes. Was Becker out there, on the other side of the door? She almost wanted to open it and see, but her resolve was stronger than that. She'd bury herself in work, ignore her problems, and allow her tears time to dry. She found a wry smile cross her lips; she'd heard from the others Cutter often drowned his sorrows in whiskey. Well, this was her whiskey.

Suddenly she felt the door to her office push in on her. She leapt up quickly and put her hand up quickly, pretending to push the hair from her eyes to hide her tears. "Yeah?"

It was Jenny.

"Should've knocked," she said hurriedly with little apology, noticing Sarah's red eyes without comment. "But--Sarah, Helen's disappeared."


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay. Now, things are about to get interesting. **

**I don't own Primeval. Shocker, right? **

Chapter 6

Abby felt her stomach twist. Her stomach? God, she hoped it was just her stomach.

She and Connor were in the hub when they heard that the ARC was to be quarantined to keep a certain virus called Helen Cutter from escaping. All the exits were guarded by several soldiers, but what disturbed the team most was that Helen escaped at all. The field team, plus Jenny and Lester, was held in the hub, which made the massive room seem tiny and stuffy.

"Those cells were supposed to be impenetrable, _Sir James_," Jenny snapped grittily. The civil servants bickered intensely between one another often, but now Jenny was growing towards the borderline of fury. "Or am I to understand that someone who's been _knighted_ is incapable of keeping a single woman in check?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Lester growled under his breath. "This is Helen we're talking about, there is no bloody way to keep her locked up."

Abby winced and leaned up against a table. No, no, she didn't feel right at all.

"Connor…"

"Abby, not now."

Abby could've slapped him--he was using the ADD2 to monitor security in the ARC, which was really important, but why did it have to be this moment he was ignoring her?

"Connor, peaches."

"Abby, we can't get any peaches right now. We're stuck in the hub, remember?"

"It's time."

"I'll get you peaches just as soon as we find Helen."

Abby grimaced and swore before grabbing Connor's shoulder and shouting. "_CONNOR, YOU IDIOT, I'M ABOUT TO HAVE THIS FREAKIN' BABY!_"

Connor finally caught on, as did everyone else in the hub--and very possibly the entire ARC. Sarah rushed to her side and Becker set down the gun he was handling, running towards her and squeezing her hand gently.

"Is there anyone qualified to deliver a baby in the ARC?" Sarah asked Lester with wide, terrified eyes. The man looked genuinely worried, as though he cared more about Abby's health than the state the floor of the ARC was going to be in.

"Well--her," he said sheepishly, and Sarah cursed. "Wait--there's a medic here today, damn near forgot." Within seconds he was on the intercom, mumbling for someone called Doctor Pulaski.

Becker, Jenny, and Lester looked at one another with grimaces.

"Well, isn't this just a lovely spot we've gotten into," Jenny said, first to break the silence. "Helen loose in the ARC and Abby's about to give birth in the botany lab."

"_Thank you _for closed-captioning the situation, Miss Lewis," Lester snapped.

"I'm just wondering why no one is doing anything."

The three were alone in the hub; Sarah and Connor were with Abby, the scientists had evacuated under careful supervision, and Becker's soldiers were at every entrance or else pacing the corridors.

"We can't do much more than we're doing," Becker admitted, stealing glances every few moments at the curtained window to the botany lab. He was an expert at stifling emotions--being a hardened soldier owed him that much to his credit--but he couldn't stop thinking about Sarah. How she'd just--dumped him, tossed him aside like garbage.

"There's got to be--"

Lester broke off when the security alarms went off. He cursed and Becker spoke into a radio device.

"Any sign of a breach?"

The men on the other end all assured him that no one could've broken in, or broken out. Jenny pursed her lips.

"I'm not even going to say it. Let's just wait for him to saunter in."

Sure enough, Danny appeared in a doorway, shrugging at them.

"Where's everyone?"

Jenny and Lester glared at him silently, but Lester broke it off and stepped towards him.

"We don't have time for--anything--Quinn, Miss Temple's giving birth and Helen's loose in the building."

Danny nodded. "Fine--any ideas where she might be?"

Becker shook his head, but he grabbed up two guns from the table. Then, thoughtfully he placed one in its holster on his waist and grabbed another one, passing it to Danny.

"Come on," he said, nodding towards the double doors. Danny followed him, though Becker stopped beside the botany lab and opened the door a crack, knocking on the jamb.

Connor met him after a few moments; he heard Abby cry out in pain inside and Sarah's comforting voice--that caught him off guard.

"Kinda busy, Beck," Connor said quickly, so Becker pulled his gun from the holster and set it in Connor's hand.

"If you see Helen," he said before clapping him on the arm and following Danny.

"I reckon we'd best check out her cell first?" the ex-copper offered, but Becker shook his head.

"No need. She asked for water, knocked out the soldier who got it for her and used his gun to get out further. I reckon she took the vents like you."

Danny was thoughtful a moment as a soldier stepped past them. "What if she made it to the locker rooms?"

"What if?"

Danny narrowed his eyes on the soldier. "She could be wearing a soldier's uniform. Marching along the halls with the rest of your men and no one's be the wiser."

"She'd show on the security--" Becker broke off, cursing before speaking into his radio. "Lester? Check the security camera for section 3-H, what do you see? Yeah, what I thought. Helen's cut it off."

Danny furrowed his brow. "What was that about?"

Becker looked disgusted. "You know on that American movie, _National Treasure_, where that bloke freezes the camera frame on an empty hallway so his mate can sneak in?"

Danny sighed with realization. "She doesn't need a soldier's uniform. She can go wherever she bloody well wants to."

"Under the radar," Becker agreed. "Damn it, I thought we had this woman figured out."

"Do you think she was the hacker?" Danny asked. "She could've hacked our security to make entry easy, and screwed up our cameras, but then waited until now to shut them off so we wouldn't notice."

"Woman after your own heart?" Becker joked dryly.

"Actually, that's Jenny," Danny replied easily.


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own Primeval, although I have a suspiciously large number of Primeval images in my screensaver and on my desktop which may imply I am something of a fangirl. **

Capitulo Siete (Or Chapter 7 for my monolingual friends out there)

Connor held Abby's hand firmly. He didn't really pay attention to anything the doctor was saying--he was just caught up in Abby's icy eyes which stared back into his brown eyes intensely.

He could feel her pulse between his fingertips--so strong, vital, and fierce. Sarah was the one who kept ordering her to breathe. He just held her hand and willed her through it, but it was all he had to do. He just pictured her, beaming, with their little baby in her arms.

Beads of sweat rolled down her face. He was certain he looked much the same--he had been here with her for…he wasn't sure how long. Time didn't matter in here, while out there it was all the world.

"Abby, you're doing great--just keep breathing," Sarah said. Connor was glad as hell she was there and he knew Abby was too. Sarah was the gentle one, the quietly strong one. She was probably the nicest person he could imagine. (Abby excepted, of course.)

"Conn--"

Sarah began to say his name as the door to the botany lab opened but broke off as the first thing she saw enter was a gun. The hand followed, and it trailed along until Helen was standing in the doorway, holding a gun to Abby's forehead.

"Oh, God," Doctor Pulaski cried out, stepping back away from Abby with his hands up. Abby shrieked in pain.

"Helen, leave her alone!" Connor said, pushing forward. He edged himself between Helen and Abby until Helen's gun pointed at his chest.

"Connor Temple." Helen pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Kindly hand me the keys to this room."

Connor breathed quickly, knowing if they were locked in she could pick them off one by one, but she could probably do that without the key. He fished into his pocket and pulled out the ring that held all his important keys. When she refused to accept it, he found the correct one and reluctantly handed them over.

He hoped she would turn to lock the door; she just set one hand behind her back and locked it like a professional. Connor grimaced. The doors had been fortified since the Gorgonopsid incident to withstand hurricanes and missiles--exaggeration notwithstanding--and nothing would get through them locked.

Helen seemed to suddenly realize what she had stumbled onto, and a smirk spread across her face.

"Help the girl, Polack," she snapped at the doctor, who didn't seem greatly offended by the cultural knock as Helen's gun was currently in his face. He quickly went to Abby, stuttering as he told her to keep breathing, keep pushing.

Sarah and Connor stared at Helen in fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Helen?" Sarah asked angrily.

"I did a little reading before I got here," she shrugged. "Your security down, I saw an opportunity knock and I invited it in for tea."

"So, you're going to kill us and then what?"

Helen just shook her head. "Connor Temple. Geek boy, extraordinaire. Married to Abigail Sarah Maitland Temple. Should never be allowed to handle a gun."

Sarah gave Connor a slow, shaky glance. He blinked twice in silent acknowledgement before taking a step forward. Helen's gun was only inches from his chest.

"You know what it doesn't say in my file, Helen?" he said, flicking his eyes once to the woman's hand. She raised her eyebrows and shook her head innocently. "What it doesn't say, is that I am _currently _handling a gun."

In one quick motion he brought his gun up, pistol-whipping Helen's gun from her fingertips. Sarah caught the gun in both hands and raised it up, although Connor didn't recall that she had any formal weapons training--whatsoever.

Helen barely seemed surprised, although she held her hand tenderly. "You might've broken a finger," she said in a mock-pout. Connor grimaced.

"Just once, pretend to be surprised," he asked. They heard the doorknob rattle as someone outside attempted futilely to gain access. It then thudded dully, but nothing happened.

He lifted his own gun to Helen's forehead and inched forward until the cool metal pressed into her skin. "I'll shoot."

Behind him, Abby moaned and Sarah took a step backwards to hold her hand.

Helen looked as though she thought Connor was making an idle threat. "Maybe you will," she said thoughtfully, "but look at it this way: it was no accident that the Forest of Dean anomaly will--appeared. The first one you found."

Connor narrowed his eyes. "How do you--wait. You cause that anomaly?" When Helen nodded, he shook his head. "So what?"

Abby shrieked. The doctor said hurriedly, "Mr. Temple, she's almost there."

Helen smirked at Connor. "Do you know how many anomalies I've made that you've discovered? Many--almost all of them. Only an occasional few are natural--what if you'd never discovered them?"

Connor didn't understand what she was saying at first, but gradually his eyes widened. "Oh, no," he murmured. "You're saying that--if you die--"

"You'd still be a second-rate geek squad computer whiz," Helen finished, raising an eyebrow. "Unmarried. Childless. Pathetic."

Connor's gun pressed into her skull. Her words rang true, but he was frozen to the spot. Was it worth it? Could he lose his reason for living to save the world?

His breath began to quicken, but he didn't dare lowed his gun. Not even when the doctor called out to him. Not even when Abby gave a final shriek. Not even when Sarah breathed, "You're a daddy, Connor."

Danny and Becker reentered the hub.

"Helen's in the botany lab," Danny growled.

"With Sarah," Becker added more loudly, gritting his teeth and fingering his gun. He wished they'd take down the curtain they'd put up for privacy, just so he could see that Sarah was okay.

It was mental, that he still wanted to know she was safe and happy, after she ripped his heart out, stomped on it, and fed it to several starving raptors.

Happy? He doubted that. And with Helen in there, how safe could she be?

Lester and Jenny exchanged unhappy looks, but Jenny was the first to speak.

"You two guard the door," she ordered. "Lester, come with me--there are more guns in the armory we can use."

Lester nodded, and they exited the hub. Lester and Jenny ran (Jenny mastered running in heels) to the armory like their lives depended upon it, because they very probably did. Helen Cutter--the woman could throw an entire government facility into shambles single-handedly. As they entered the armory, they heard a gunshot and grabbed the first weapons their hands found.


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own Primeval. Now start reading. **

Chapter 8

Sarah held Abby's child, wrapped in one of Connor's old sweatshirts, against her chest in terror. There had been a gunshot outside--was one of their friends shot?

Connor didn't take his glistening eyes off Helen for a moment. "Why did you make him help deliver my baby?" he asked in a low growl, though he already knew the answer. "Why not just kill us?"

"Because, stupid boy, I needed a bargaining chip. If Abby was dead, you'd have nothing to lose. Alive, one shot and you lose everything--everything you've ever dreamed."

Abby was reaching out to take her child from Sarah, who quickly obliged her. Connor allowed his gaze to flick once to his wife before glaring at Helen again.

"You don't think I can shoot?" he asked. Helen looked contemplative a moment, finally narrowing her eyes on Connor and answering.

"I think anyone who can shoot without losing their head is psychotic," she answered. "But then you'd have no knowledge that you destroyed your life, so that's a plus. Or that you destroyed your child's life."

Connor's hand was shaking; the tears that fell from the corners of his eyes blended with the sweat falling like blood droplets from his scalp. How can you throw your entire life away, and change the lives of countless others? By knowing that you're _saving _lives, that's how.

He remembered a few words of a song he learned as a kid:

_There ain't no room_

_For the hopeless sinner_

_Who'd desert all mankind_

_Just to save his own. _

He shook his head. Would Abby want him to do this? He didn't have time to ask--it would hardly be an appropriate question, asking to kill their child when he hadn't even gotten a good look at the kid--

He took a single breath, held it a moment, and then exhaled. Helen closed her eyes, leaning in slightly to the gun. She hardly looked afraid--she didn't think he'd to it. He squeezed the trigger back gently--

It suddenly felt as though the sky was falling.


	9. Chapter 9

The sky is falling! The sky is--no, that doesn't make sense. So what happened? Will time go on? Will there be cosmic reverberations throughout the timeline?

**My name is Bellalyse Winchester, and I have in fact seen the sky fall. Twice. **

**I am sooooo sorry I haven't updated any of my fics in a while! I've been working on my own (I actually do own them) characters in my own novel. Once I get the novel to a proper publisher Bellalyse Winchester will actually be more than just a figment of my imagination. I hope. **

**I doughnut own Primeval. **

Chapter 9

Danny and Becker stood over the body of a cleaner clone--they had shot him on sight and suspected there were more that would be coming in.

Jenny and Lester arrived. Jenny clutched a tranquilizer gun (in her haste she hadn't time to grab a proper weapon) while Lester favored a machine gun.

"You all right with that?" Becker asked, and Lester scoffed.

"If you think just because I'm a civil servant I have no weapons training, you're an idiot," he said pompously. They looked to the floor and saw the cleaner but said nothing. Jenny stepped to the door, pressing her ear against it and listening. Finally she shook her head, stepping back.

"You can't hear anything, it's soundproof," Lester chastised. Jenny paused a moment, then held up a hand.

"Hold on--I'll be right back."

She darted out into another corridor and found a tiny conference room. Looking up, she saw a metal grate and smiled. She pushed a stack of chairs to the wall and climbed up onto it. Without a screwdriver, she used the silver zipper on her purse to twist off the screws and finally pulled the grate from the wall.

It was easy enough to get into the grate, though the stack of chairs she'd climbed up on toppled over behind her. She gritted her teeth, squashing the tiny feeling of claustrophobia she was aware of. If Danny could do it, she bloody well could, too. Even though it was rather difficult to crawl and carry the tranquilizer gun at the same time.

She crawled carefully and silently, peering through the grates every several seconds to see where she was. Over the hallway. An empty lab. An empty lab. The botany lab!

Abby was clutching a baby in her arms protectively. Some doctor was backed up against the wall, terrified. Sarah held a gun sheepishly, but it was Connor who held a gun to Helen's head.

"You don't think I can shoot?"

"I think anyone who can shoot without losing their head is psychotic. But then you'd have no knowledge that you destroyed your life, so that's a plus. Or that you destroyed your child's life."

Jenny watched the scene with wide eyes. What were they talking about? Connor seemed indecisive over whether to shoot or not. Jenny moved around, trying to get a good look at them, to see if Connor was about to shoot.

Suddenly the grate beneath her gave way, and she shrieked as she dropped out of the vents and onto a very surprised Helen Cutter. Connor looked from her to his gun in confusion, then gasped. "Jenny, the gun's not bloody _loaded!_"

Jenny would've laughed that Connor noticed that rather than the fact that she had just plummeted from the ceiling, but she had to be quick. She stood and grabbed her gun, and the look on Helen's face was priceless as the dart found its mark in her shoulder.

Connor found the key in Helen's pocket and, an arm slung around Abby's shoulder, he opened the door and they came out. Danny stared in shock at Jenny.

"You broke in?" he smiled.

"Through the vents," she said, looking up at him with a shy grin. "I shot Helen, too, with my tranquilizer--it turns out if we kill her, the course of history changes and it's very likely the ARC will have never existed."

Danny looked thoughtful a moment. "Jenny, I'm sorry--"

This time it was Jenny who forced him into a deep, passionate kiss. She grabbed the back of his head and brought it down into her lips, open and ready for him. He was hesitant at first but slowly he opened his mouth and drank in her excitement.

Sarah stepped over to Becker. "Captain--Jensen," she said quietly. She was afraid he'd get mad at her now not just for their fight but for calling him by his first name in public--he just looked at her with quiet, sincere hope. "Jensen, I'm sorry about what I said."

He looked away. "I can't blame you," he shrugged. "Everything you said was true, and I've just got to get used to it."

Sarah sighed. "Being trapped in a room with Helen Cutter puts things into perspective, a little bit at least. I just mean, I _was_ quick to start to like you." Becker inhaled slowly. "But--I'm not sorry I fell in love with you."

Becker's eyes widened at that. "Fell--in love with _me_?" he asked in disbelief. Sarah had to laugh.

"Is it that hard to believe?" she said skeptically. "You're kind, funny, brave, sweet…."

"Hold that thought," Becker murmured as Abby and Connor walked over to them, Abby holding their sleeping baby in her arms. Jenny and Danny converged on them, and even Lester appeared.

"Do you have any ideas for names?" Jenny asked. Abby and Connor looked at one another happily.

"There's only one name we'd have, really," Connor admitted, placing a gentle hand on the little child's head.

"He really deserves this," Abby added, rocking the baby gently back and forth. "We thought…well, Connor, you say it."

Connor smiled , his ears reddening. "Well, we thought that we'd name the little guy Nicholas," he said, starting slow but almost babbling the last few words. "I mean, Cutter was like a dad to us, wasn't he?"

Jenny couldn't help but smile. Danny offered a grin.

"Now, here I was thinking you'd name the kid after me," he mock-whined. Abby beamed.

"Danny, our son has a middle name too, you know," she said. Sarah looked up at Becker happily.

"Nicholas Daniel Temple," the captain said thoughtfully. "I like it."

"Hey, Nicky," Danny said, reaching a finger out as the baby yawned. The child's tiny hand grabbed his finger firmly and he smiled.

"This kid's going to have about the best family ever," Abby said contentedly.

* * *

**Wow. I can't believe I made it through all that. If you've made it through (including A Lot Can Happen on Vacation) give yourself a pat on the back.  
****Special thnx to Logan the Awesome, who has serially reviewed almost everything I've written on Fanfiction.  
****Thnx as well to all my other lovelies who have been reading my fanfictions. Though this story's over, I have more on the way. **

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO,  
_Bellalyse Winchester_**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is just for fun. Todavia no tengo Primeval. **

_Fifteen Years Later_

Nick Temple entered the ARC lazily, dropping his backpack on the floor and greeting Sarah and Connor with a wave.

"Nicholas, what've we all told you about dropping your stuff anywhere you please in a government facility?" Sarah chastised. Nick rolled his eyes, pushing a hand back through his thick, blond hair.

"That Lester gets seriously ticked when I do," he sighed. He picked up his backpack and slung it back over his shoulder. "Thanks, Sarah."

"Where's Stephen and Allie and Jo?" Connor asked.

"Allie's coming in, she's got that God-awful project of hers from biology. Stephen and Jo are at the park."

"I'm sure Allison's project is great," Sarah said in defense of her daughter. "I'd bet it's the most accurate anatomy of a smilodon her teacher's ever seen."

"Maybe I should clarify," Nick shrugged. "The art's great, the science is great, but it's so creepy. One saber-tooth a month ago and suddenly she can paint them like a pro."

Allie stepped in then, holding a large rolled up paper that was slightly crackled from dried paint.

"Oi, mum!" she called, waving with the paper. "I was wondering, can I go to the theater? They're showing _Journey to the Beginning of Time_, and I don't want to wait until it comes out on disc."

"Is that the remake of that old movie?" Connor asked. Nick's ears perked up.

"Can I go, too, dad?" he asked quickly. "I heard the special effects are legendary."

Connor and Sarah glanced at one another. "I guess," Sarah sighed. As they ran out the door she added, "Go home as soon as the movie's over, all right?"

Abby, Becker, and Danny passed the two kids as they ran from the hub. Becker gave Connor a sour glance.

"You keep your bloody kid in check with our daughter, Temple," he advised. Connor rolled his eyes.

"They're just kids, Jensen. And I think Allie can take care of herself."

"That's the truth," Danny smiled. "Both of your girls are pretty quick; did you see Jo fight that smilodon off with a pool skimmer? I don't think you could've done that good, Becker."

"Maybe _you_ couldn't," Becker replied daringly. "I seem to recall saving all your necks in a certain future anomaly."

"Boys," Sarah smiled. At that moment, Lester and Jenny came down from Lester's office.

"Can I safely assume that the ARC should be child-free for an hour or two at least?" Lester asked hopefully. His hair was slightly graying but he wore it rather well; he managed to look regal at least. Connor nodded to him. "Splendid. The only thing that can make this the best day of this week so far is if we don't get an anomaly alert."

They were silent a moment, as though expecting the alarm to go off at an inopportune moment as usual. When no alert sounded, Jenny smiled hopefully as Lester returned to his office.

"Alright, then." She turned to Danny. "I think you owe me a drink, Danny."

The leader of the field team looked happy to oblige. "Right. I'll see you later," he called to the others as Jenny pulled him out of the hub. Abby came up to Connor and hugged him from behind.

"How long is that movie, Connor?" she asked quietly. He shrugged, tilting his head slightly to see her. "Dunno, about three hours. Why-oh." He stood and turned to face Abby. "Okay."

He followed his wife from the room, leaving Becker and Sarah there alone. Becker smiled down at Sarah and took Connor's seat at the ADD2.

"Don't touch anything, Jensen," she advised, and he obeyed.

"You're beautiful when you're focused, Sarah."

She tried and failed to maintain a straight face as she worked, blushing and looking down at her hands. "Well, you've gone and unfocused me."

The soldier smiled. "You're beautiful when you're unfocused, too," he pointed out. "And when you're doing the laundry, and when you're cooking dinner, and when you're helping me herd a few composagnothus through an anomaly…."

"Typical dull-as-dishwater housewife, that's me," she smiled.

"Hey, I said composagnothus. That's…menial."

She smirked. "Menial for us, I suppose. After all those memories-you holding a gun on me, that one time-"

"Twice, I believe it was twice." Becker pushed a strand of her hair back. "That first time I didn't even know you and I still knew you were the one. _Love at first sight…._"

"Stop it," Sarah laughed, pushing him away playfully. "You thought I was some ditzy doctor and that's all."

"To be fair, you were and still are a ditzy doctor," Becker said as he leaned in for a kiss. "But now you're _my_ ditzy doctor."

Sarah allowed him a single kiss on the cheek. "And you're my soldier boy," she whispered.

**AL FIN.**


End file.
